TY - JOUR
T1 - Direct medical costs of age-related macular degeneration in Italian hospital ophthalmology departments
T2 - A multicenter, prospective 1-year study
AU - Garattini, Livio
AU - Castelnuovo, Emanuela
AU - Lanzetta, Paolo
AU - Viscarra, Cecilia
AU - Ricci, Elena
AU - Parazzini, Fabio
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - This study calculated the resource utilization and direct medical costs related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We conducted a multicenter observational study in 1999 in seven hospital ophthalmology departments in northern and central Italy. A total of 476 patients aged over 50 years with the diagnoses were classified into three prognostic groups: (a) drusen (23.7%), (b) geographic atrophy (16.4%), and (c) retinal changes associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) (59.9%). In addition to the costs reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service, we estimated also patients' out of pocket expenses. The mean cost per patient per year was €383.2; patients with CNV were by far the most costly (€540.1, vs. €158.1 for drusen and €147.9 for geographic atrophy). Hospital costs and diagnostics were the main cost determinants. Services directly paid for by patients (private consultations and OTCs) amounted to €46.5 for patients with CNV,€50.3 for drusen, and €68.8 for geographic atrophy. The major finding of the study was that the presence of CNV involved higher expenditure than drusen or geographic atrophy. This suggests that the costs of AMD rise significantly with the severity of the illness.
AB - This study calculated the resource utilization and direct medical costs related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We conducted a multicenter observational study in 1999 in seven hospital ophthalmology departments in northern and central Italy. A total of 476 patients aged over 50 years with the diagnoses were classified into three prognostic groups: (a) drusen (23.7%), (b) geographic atrophy (16.4%), and (c) retinal changes associated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) (59.9%). In addition to the costs reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service, we estimated also patients' out of pocket expenses. The mean cost per patient per year was €383.2; patients with CNV were by far the most costly (€540.1, vs. €158.1 for drusen and €147.9 for geographic atrophy). Hospital costs and diagnostics were the main cost determinants. Services directly paid for by patients (private consultations and OTCs) amounted to €46.5 for patients with CNV,€50.3 for drusen, and €68.8 for geographic atrophy. The major finding of the study was that the presence of CNV involved higher expenditure than drusen or geographic atrophy. This suggests that the costs of AMD rise significantly with the severity of the illness.
KW - Aged macular degeneration
KW - Italy
KW - Medical costs
KW - Resource utilization
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U2 - 10.1007/s10198-003-0198-x
DO - 10.1007/s10198-003-0198-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 15452761
AN - SCOPUS:1542314371
VL - 5
SP - 22
EP - 27
JO - European Journal of Health Economics
JF - European Journal of Health Economics
SN - 1618-7598
IS - 1
ER -